SM
Arsenal Women vs. Linkopings Women: 9 hrs 35 mins
Previews and predictions index
Collect News Data
HL
Scottish League Cup | Final
Dec 19, 2021 at 3pm UK
Hampden Park
CL
Hibernian
1 - 2
Celtic
Hanlon (51')
Doyle-Hayes (36'), Nisbet (43')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Furuhashi (52', 72')
Juranovic (35'), Johnston (83')

Preview: Hibernian vs. Celtic - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Hibernian vs. Celtic - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Sunday's Scottish League Cup clash between Hibernian and Celtic, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Celtic and Hibernian will compete in the Scottish League Cup final on Sunday, with both teams aiming to claim their first piece of silverware.

The Hoops come into this match in stronger form overall, but the Hibees shall be aiming to pull off an upset to lift the trophy for the first time since 2006-07.


Match preview

Celtic have not lost in their previous six matches across all competitions as they head into Sunday's cup final and they have built up plenty of momentum for themselves.

In the league, no team have conceded fewer goals than the Hoops, with Joe Hart being a standout performer for the club this season, which he will be hoping to continue this weekend.

Throughout the Scottish League Cup, Ange Postecoglou's team have made a drastic improvement on what they managed last year, which saw them knocked out in the second round by Ross County.

This time around they have been dominant, having put three past both Hearts and Raith Rovers before knocking out the defending champions, St Johnstone in the semi-final.

The squad will also be confident considering their last meeting with Hibernian resulted in a 3-1 victory, with Anthony Ralston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kyogo Furuhashi all getting on the scoresheet.

The Hibees will be seen as the underdogs heading into this final, especially since the club does not currently have a full-time manager following the recent sacking of Jack Ross.

David Gray will be in charge of the team once again on Sunday and so far he is undefeated, having secured a draw and a victory in the league, changing Hibernian's fortunes.

A Paul McMullan own goal was enough to secure them a 1-0 victory against Dundee at the weekend and the squad shall be hoping to repeat that feat again this Sunday.

Hibernian have been free-scoring in this competition, first beating Kilmarnock 2-0 before they knocked out Dundee United with a 3-1 win.

However, their most impressive performance took place in the semi-finals where they faced Rangers as Martin Boyle fired his time through with a first-half hat-trick.

Hibernian Scottish League Cup form:
  • W
  • W
  • W

Hibernian form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • W

Celtic Scottish League Cup form:
  • W
  • W
  • W

Celtic form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Team News

Celtic have been dealing with a growing list of injury problems as of late which Postecoglou has had to manage and work around with their busy schedule.

Offensively a lot of their biggest threats are on the shelf with Furuhashi, Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis all unavailable recently, while James Forrest and Mikey Johnston have also suffered fitness issues.

The Hoops boss did hint that a couple of players could be fit to return, even if that is for the bench, but he did not name anybody specifically, keeping things close to his chest ahead of Sunday.

Both Chris Cadden and Kevin Nisbet had to leave the field during Hibernian's recent victory over Dundee; however, Gray believes that both men should be available for the cup final.

The Hibees will also be relying upon Boyle to provide some magic upfront considering he has already scored four times in this competition.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Macey; McGinn, Hanlon, Porteous; Stevenson, Newell, Doyle-Hayes, Cadden, Campbell; Nisbet, Boyle

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Ralston, Starfelt, Carter-Vickers, Scales; Turnbull, Bitton, McGregor; Montgomery, Juranovic, Abada


We say: Hibernian 1-2 Celtic

In a cup final, anything is possible as form often goes out of the window, but it is hard to look past Celtic on Sunday given the manner in which they have been performing.

The Hoops are ruthless in attack and sturdy defensively, plus with all of the uncertainty and unsettledness of the managerial position at Hibernian, it will not have been smooth sailing preparing for this one.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__473160 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-12-17 16:06:15:
html db last update - 2021-12-17 08:06:09 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Game History
Read more!
Share this article now:
MA
CL
Read Next:
Celtic do not have the squad to challenge for the title, says Craig Levein
>

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Joe Hart Anthony Ralston Cameron Carter-Vickers Kyogo Furuhashi Jack Ross David Gray Paul McMullan Martin Boyle Ange Postecoglou Giorgos Giakoumakis Jota James Forrest Mikey Johnston Chris Cadden Kevin Nisbet Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Celtic do not have the squad to challenge for the title, says Craig Levein
Should Liverpool accept a £200m offer for Mohamed Salah?

Page options

Read more!
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic431083510
2Motherwell431063310
3St Mirren42208628
4RangersRangers42026246
5Ross County420256-16
6Dundee41215505
7Livingston412147-35
8Hearts41122204
9Kilmarnock411223-14
10Hibernian410378-13
11Aberdeen402237-42
12St Johnstone402226-42
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

primis in bodyhistory www

Man United 'detected Sofyan Amrabat injury during medical'

1

MU

Man United decide against Palhinha move in January?

2

MU

Preview: Niger vs. Uganda - prediction, team news, lineups

3

PN

Preview: Angola vs. Madagascar - prediction, team news, lineups

4

PA

Preview: Argentina vs. Ecuador - prediction, team news, lineups

5

PA

How Argentina could line up against Ecuador

6

HA

Greenwood comments on Getafe loan move at official unveiling

7

GC

Preview: Wales vs. South Korea - prediction, team news, lineups

8

PW

Preview: Paraguay vs. Peru - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PP

Gravenberch criticised for Netherlands Under-21s withdrawal

10

GC


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .